Thrust washers of the prior art were usually formed from sheet metal, by stamping in a "U" shape, of about 14 gauge (0.0747"). The short height and relative thin gauge led to a dual problem of the thrust washers being susceptible to bending, buckling or producing an "oilcan" effect when the thrust washer was placed under load during or after the mounting assembly of the faucet, and of the clearance space being a minimal opening, which--especially for a pull-out type faucet--can result in mounting and/or operational difficulties.